Little plastic ring
by stocky-parker-dog
Summary: So there's a little boy and a little girl. They're best friends! But he's moving, so what does he do? He proposes with a little plastic ring, promising to find her. Years later, the ring makes a reappearance, but she doesn't seem to remember him. What's he do? And how does this turn out? Contestshipping oneshot. I do NOT own the characters.


Normal POV

"Wait up May!" a boy yelled.

His hair was green and he was about five years old. The brunette in front of him turned and grinned.

"You have to catch me first Drew!" she yelled back.

The five year old neighbours were running through the park. Behind them were their parents. Two women and a man. May had her two parents while Drew only had his mum. His dad had been caught in an accident when he was young and hadn't made it out.

"So Janine," Caroline said, "moving out soon? Have you told Drew yet?"

The blonde woman nodded.

"I told him last night," she replied, "it wasn't easy to comfort him. He's really distressed about leaving his best friend."

"We could come and visit," Norman suggested.

Janine shook her head.

"Oh please don't," she begged, "Drew's dealt with having to leave her; he wouldn't handle only a couple of visits a year. He'd become agitated."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Caroline sighed, "does that mean we'll never see you again."

Janine looked at her, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"I don't know," she said honestly, "I would try to visit, but it might have to be after Drew starts his journey."

"I wish we could do more to help," Norman said.

"You've done plenty," Janine replied, smiling slightly, "just by letting Drew have this one last chance to say goodbye."

They smiled sadly as they looked over to their kids.

"May!" Drew called again.

May just giggled in response and climbed up onto the playground. Drew looked down at the ground; trying not to cry as he remembered the reason he was here in the first place. Something shiny caught his eye. He picked it up and looked at it. Perfect! This would make May feel better at least. May was looking at him curiously, not seeing exactly what it was that Drew picked up.

"Hey, are you coming up here?" she asked.

"Hang on a minute," Drew replied, "I'll be right back."

He ran to the water fountain nearby. He dipped his hand in the water, washing the object thoroughly before taking his hand back. He ran back to where May was waiting. He climbed up, being careful not to slip and sank down next to May. She giggled and got up.

"Come on!" she called, "we have to go see the new trees."

"But I just sat down," Drew complained.

"You chose to go running off," she giggled, "that's not my fault."

"Wait May," he said, standing up and catching her wrist, "I have to tell you something important."

"What is it?" she asked.

"Well, you see, I'm moving," he said, "today is my last day."

"What!" she squeaked, tears instantly filling her blue eyes.

"Mum needs to move to a different city," he explained, "We're leaving straight after this. The car's packed and everything."

She let out a loud wail at the thought of never seeing her friend again.

"Hey don't cry," he said softly, "I'm upset too."

"But Drew," she cried, "I'll never see you again."

"I promise one day I'll find you again," he promised her.

"How will you find me?" she asked.

"I just will," he answered.

He knelt down like he'd seen boys on the TV do when they really like a girl. Well, he really liked May. He pulled the object from his pocket and held it up to her.

"Here May," he offered, "You could marry me?"

So it wasn't the same way the people had asked, but he was different from the people on TV. His ring was sparkly pink plastic, not shiny silver. May nodded enthusiastically.

"This is how I'll find you," he told her, slipping the ring on her finger; the left hand, the finger next to pinkie one.

That's the one he saw his mum's ring on. It was a bit big and she had to close her fist to stop it from falling off again. She grinned at him again and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Drew! May!" Caroline yelled, "It's time for Drew to go now!"

He jumped up, sick of kneeling on the ground. She took his hand in hers and started running back to her parents.

"Look mummy!" May shouted, holding up her left hand to show her parents, "Me and Drew are going to get married!"

The two mothers laughed at the innocence of it while Norman shook his head with a smile on his face.

"That's very nice May," Caroline said eventually, "now say good bye to Drew."

May turned to him.

"Goodbye," she said happily.

"Why are you so happy?" Norman asked, suspicious.

"This isn't forever," she explained, "We'll find each other one day. Drew still has to marry me."

* * *

***6 years later***

Drew's POV

Face it Drew, I told myself, it's been 6 years; you'll never find her again. I sighed and leaned out on the balcony. Why had I promised to find her again? It was near impossible. Roselia next to me looked up at me.

_'You're thinking of her again,'_ she said.

"So what if I am?" I challenged.

_'Drew, seriously,' _she said,_ 'you have to stop this. It's not exactly your fault you never got to see her again.'_

"No, it's not my fault," I replied bitterly, "It's my mum's. I can't believe she never let them visit."

_'Drew be reasonable,'_ she sighed, _'you know your mum was only doing what she thought would hurt you less.'_

"How on earth is keeping me from my best friend a good thing?" I spat.

_'You know she thought it would only hurt you more if you only got to see her once every _year' she pointed out.

"I just…Wish that I could find her again, like I promised," I sighed.

Roselia patted my knee with her rose shaped hands. I looked down, changing my position slightly. Roselia nudged my leg, pointing out.

"What is it?" I asked.

She pointed again. I saw a group of people. Three boys and a girl. The girl was throwing frisbees at her Pokémon. They were fairly close by.

_'You might want to watch your head,'_ she warned.

As if on cue, the girl missed the last frisbee and it flew over her head towards me.

"I say," I started, closing my eyes slightly, "that I show off."

_'What!'_ Roselia yelled, _'why would you do that?'_

"Look, I've been feeling terrible all day," I whispered, "I think having some appreciation would cheer me up."

"Look out!" the girl yelled.

I raised my hand and smirked as I felt the cool pink plastic in my hands. It wasn't really that impressive actually. Just open your eyes just enough so that you could see, but closed enough that they couldn't see your eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she gasped running over to me.

I spun the frisbee on my finger.

"Please don't tell me you're going to enter the contest with a cheesy act like that," I said.

That was a bluff. I'd only just assumed she was a coordinator. Oh who was I kidding? What kind of trainer after badges practised appeals with frisbees? I opened my eyes to get a good look at her, to see the kind of reaction I was going to get. I gasped in shock, being met with blue eyes. The girl had brown hair that was tied back by a red bandana. Only one person I had ever known looked like that. I was so startled that I lost the balance with the frisbee and it flew off my finger, landing in the sand in front of her. May? I would have to test this. I leapt over the railing and landed lightly on my feet, much to Roselia's shock. I shoved my hands in my pocket and walked towards her. If this was really May then she's be hot tempered and defensive. I think I could test that pretty well.

"You've got no finesse, no moves," I teased her.

I watched as her fists balled at her sides angrily. That's when I noticed, on her ring finger, she was wearing a small pink, sparkly plastic ring. I didn't even need the rest of her reaction to confirm it was her. I can't believe she had kept the ring I'd given her all those years ago. She took a step forwards and I held my hand up; putting it on her forehead to stop her from hitting me. Gosh, I'd forgotten how aggressive she could be when she was mad.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, "Who are you to tell me that?"

I frowned inside, but didn't let it show. No, I had learnt over the past years never to let my emotions show, but I still felt a slight sting. Didn't she recognise me? I mean serious, how many people had green hair? I'd love to see her reaction when she figured out who I was. Oh well, I'd have to tell her.

"If you must know, I'm Drew," I said with a smirk, "Pokémon coordinator."

I searched her eyes, looking for some spark of recognition, but none came. Ouch that hurt. Didn't she remember me at all?

"Really, that's just like you May," A boy said, running over to her.

I narrowed my eyes at him. He was slightly taller than her. His hair was black and his eyes were blue. He wore a red cap over the top though. Two other boys ran over. One looked much older. His hair was also black as well as his eyes. The last boy looked significantly younger. He had dark blue hair and wore thick black rimmed glasses over his black eyes. Wow. Max had grown a lot. The last time I saw him he was 1; just a little baby still.

"Please no comparison," I said, wanting to make her angry, "you see you and your Pokémon here, you've got no style."

Maybe it was babyish, but I wanted her to feel the sting I was feeling right now.

"Hey!" she yelled angrily, her face going red, "You can make fun of me all you want, but don't you dare make fun of my Pokémon!"

"Calm down little girl," I said, remembering how much she hated being called that.

I held up my hand as she pushed forwards, trying to hit me. I pushed harder as she furiously tried to reach me. She'd gotten stronger. Good.

"May don't listen to what he says," Max said.

"Yeah," the capped boy agreed, "why don't you show us all your great Pokémon?"

Who was this boy? I instantly didn't like him. Why was he with May like this? Was I jealous? Definitely. No point even denying it. I mean, May couldn't remember me, her best friend and he was replacing me. I had to get him out of here before I ended up doing something I regretted.

"Why, what good would that do?" I questioned, "I think you children ought to be on your way."

"Why should why?" Max challenged.

I glared for a moment. Why? Because unless you do, I swear that capped boy will leave with extra injuries and they **_will_** be purposeful. Of course I didn't say this out loud. How freaky would that be? Some random picking a fight with a stranger for no reason. At least that's was it would look like to May.

"Because this is a private beach reserved for people like me staying in that resort," I lied, jabbing my thumb over my shoulder.

"C'mon," the capped boy said, "let's get outta here."

"Yeah," the oldest boy agreed, speaking for the first time.

They started to walk away.

"I guess you're entering the Pokémon contest too?" May asked; stopping and facing me.

"Brilliant guess genius," I said sarcastically.

I didn't mean to come off so rude, but I was upset. This wasn't the reunion I was picturing. She glared angrily at me and I just chuckled. She was still the same at least. She stomped off noisily and I turned back to my hotel.

* * *

"I can't believe it!" I ranted to Roselia, "I mean I know it's been a while, but you think she'd recognize me! And after all this time, she kept that ring I gave her, but she has already replaced me!"

_'Calm down Drew,'_ Roselia hushed me, _'you aren't helping yourself by pacing like this.'_

I stopped, realizing she was right. Since when do I pace like this? I wasn't that annoyed was I?

_'See what I mean?'_ Roselia pointed out.

I frowned and glared at her. She was so cheeky.

_'Ok I'm sorry,'_ she whimpered.

I sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry ok?" I apologized, "That wasn't the easiest thing to do. I mean, I haven't seen her for 6 years and she didn't show even a single sign of recognition."

_'Can you blame her Drew?'_ Roselia asked, _'like you said it's been __6 years.__ Not everyone has a memory like yours.'_

"But it's so infuriating!" I exclaimed, "She's even kept that ring! I mean, she kept the ring, but she forgot the giver!"

I sank down on my bed.

"Who am I kidding?" I moaned, "She probably can't even remember why I gave it to her."

_'Why __did__ you give it to her?'_ Roselia asked, _'You never told me you'd given her a ring.'_

I blushed. Oh gosh.

"Um, it's kind of embarrassing," I mumbled.

_'Go on Drew,' _she pushed,_ 'you know you can tell me anything. No-one else can understand me.'_

"Well, I kind of proposed to her when I was 5 before I left," I admitted.

Roselia's mouth dropped as she looked at me in astonishment.

_'You never told me she's your fiancée,'_ she teased.

"Shut up," I snapped, blushing, "I was five ok? I didn't know that it meant getting married and being in love and all that. I just thought it was a way to show her that I promised to find her again."

_'You still proposed,'_ Roselia teased, _'and she still accepted and she still kept that ring and she's still wearing it. Sounds to me like you're still an engaged boy.'_

Oh boy.

"Why did I even bring this up?" I moaned.

_'Because being engaged is an important thing of life,'_ Roselia continued to tease me, _'ooh, you better leave all your fan girls alone or your fiancée might get jealous.'_

"I'm not engaged!" I yelled, "I'm 11 for goodness sake."

She gave me a look.

"Ahh, shut up," I snapped, "Why do I get the feeling you'll never let this drop?"

She gave me another look and smirked. I groaned. Why did Pokémon have to reflect their trainers?

* * *

"Well, well, May," I said coming to her, "looks like you've finally gotten some skill."

It had been a year since I had found her again and she still hadn't figured out who I was. Because of this, I had decided to have some fun. Teasing her. Her expressions were so interesting and it was funny.

"Hey!" she yelled, "I'll have you know that I always had skill. Mr Rose."

I blushed, thinking about the name she had given me. I had started to give her roses hoping maybe it would spark recognition within her, but it hadn't and she had come to define me by them.

**_*Flashback*_**

_"Drew!" she called. _

_I sat up, recognising her voice. Oh gosh, did she have to come now? I was only in my swim shorts with a towel around my neck. How embarrassing._

_"Huh? May?" I questioned, seeing her with a younger girl, "what's up?" _

_Oh well. Forget the fact that I was wearing little clothing in front of her; she'd seen me like this before when we were really little, but the girl next to her, no way! I resisted the urge to cover myself with my towel. May had come to know me as confident and I wasn't about to break it by showing her just how thrown I was right now._

_"I've got a new friend," she said, turning away so I had time to compose myself, "her name's Brianna. She's a big fan of yours who became a coordinator after watching you perform." _

_I stood up. _

_"Wow you did?" I inquired, "Hey thank you."_

_"I-it's nice t-to meet you," she stuttered quietly. _

_Hmm. This could be another good chance to tease her._

_"And it was Brianna who sent me that card," she continued. _

_Huh? What card? Oh yeah, that note she had assumed was from me. Well, thank goodness it wasn't some creepy stalker or something._

_"Oh I didn't sign my name and I feel like such a total fool," Brianna exclaimed, blushing. _

_She felt bad and I smirked slightly. This was going better than I thought._

_"You didn't do anything wrong," I assured, "May just made another silly mistake." _

_I watching in satisfaction as Brianna breathed a sigh of relief and May's fists curled by her sides, her ring glinting in the sun. I smirked again. She still wore it, but she still couldn't tell who gave it to her. _

_"There's only one person I know who would send me something like that Mr Rose," she retorted hotly._

_"Mr Rose!" I cried, blushing. _

_It was then that Roselia decided to speak up._

_'And she could be Mrs Rose,' she teased._

_"Roselia," I groaned. _

_She still teased me about the whole 'proposing' thing._

_'Your fault,' she said quickly._

**_*flashback ends*_**

"You haven't called me that for ages, please don't start again," I moaned.

She grinned.

"Mr Rose, Mr Rose," she chanted.

She danced around me in circles, continuing to chant the nickname over and over again. I rolled my eyes. I stuck my arm and out and felt her crash into in.

"Ouch," she groaned, rubbing her stomach, "Drew, what did you do that for?"

"Got you to stop," I said shrugging.

I could see she was about to yell at me and so I thrust the rose into her face.

"I guess I'll see you at next year's contests," I said, but in it was a hidden question.

"Only if you're going to go to Johto," she said cheerfully.

Ok, mental note, catch the next ferry into Johto so that I can be ahead of her still. I walked away as she took the rose delicately into her hands. One day she'd find out who I was; it just wasn't today.

* * *

"Drew!"

I spun around at the sound of a female voice calling my name. It probably wasn't her, but I always hoped for her. Instead of being greeted by the sight of a fan girl, or the brunette I was after, I came face to face with a pink haired coordinator.

"Solidad!" I exclaimed.

"Hey, it's been a little while," she said, "I haven't seen you for the past 3 contests."

"That because first you were away for one," I explained, "then I missed the next one and I decided not to enter the last one."

"Why would you purposely not enter a contest?" she asked.

I twirled the red rose in my fingers. I had been waiting for May.

"Oh this is about May again," she said, a funny tone in her voice.

"Well, I had to give her a chance to win," I said, "I mean, she needs it. With me in the contest she doesn't stand a chance."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed my arm. She dragged me into the nearest café. I called the waitress over and ordered a strawberry milkshake.

"So I suppose you know about May," she said.

"What about May?" I asked.

There were a lot of things about May and I knew a lot of them. I thanked the waitress as she placed my drink in front of me. Wow the service was quick here.

"She's travelling alone," she answered.

Oh, that's why I hadn't seen her brother or Ash or Brock with her.

"Oh."

I didn't know what else I was supposed to say. What was she getting at? I took a sip of the drink and let the strawberry flavour sit on my tongue.

"Oh c'mon Drew," she sighed in exasperation, "this is your chance."

"My chance for what?" I asked, taking another sip.

My gosh, they made good milkshakes here.

"To ask May to travel with you." I blinked.

"Now why would I do that?" I questioned.

She knew better than anyone that I travelled alone. Truthfully, I would've travelled with May, but I think it would be better to let her travel alone for a bit first, so she could gain a little bit of independence. I couldn't have her start to rely on me or anyone else for that matter. I took another sip, letting it linger in my mouth.

"Because you love her, idiot," she sighed, rolling her eyes.

My eyes widened and I almost spat the contents of my mouth. I swallowed and luckily managed not to choke on it.

"What gives you that impression?" I burst out.

I wasn't in love with her. I was thirteen. That was too young to think about something as serious as love. No, I was just her unknown best friend who had promised to find her. I was waiting for her to figure it out.

"The red roses Drew," she said.

"Yeah, and?" I questioned, not getting the point.

"Drew, don't tell me you don't know what they mean!" she gasped.

"Umm…no," I said, shaking my head.

Roses had meanings? Who would've thought?

"A single red rose means I love you," she told me.

My eyes widened.

"I don't love her," I said quickly, "I honestly had no idea. I just gave them to her because they were pretty and she's my friend."

"Drew," she sighed shaking her head, "you'd better change that soon. Otherwise she might believe it and you'll be leading her on. You don't want to do that do you?"

"No," I said, "but then what do I do? I can't just stop suddenly. You know how May is. She'll probably never forgive me after I tease her if I don't give her something."

I took a slow long sip of the milkshake. More than halfway gone already? That's disappointing.

"You could just give her yellow roses instead," she suggested, "That means friendship."

I nodded slowly.

"That could work," I said.

I looked at the red rose I still had in my fingers. Oops, I'd better change that before May came in.

* * *

I heard a shrill shriek. Oh gosh, that was May! I ran towards where I heard it. Please let her be ok. Maybe it was time I asked her to travel with me. She'd been by herself for a year already and we were both 14 now. She'd be independent by now, but I could keep an eye on her. I heard her scream again and I ran faster. Please be ok, I chanted in my head, I'm coming May. I finally came to the beach and found her. She was screaming and shaking in fear as a Tentacool advanced towards her. I jumped in and quickly shooed it away. She was deathly afraid of Tentacool. She looked up at me, tears in her eyes as she shook.

"Hey it's ok," I whispered quietly.

She continued shaking and so I gently pulled her into my arms like I had done long ago when her fear started. I had been there.

**_*Flashback*_**

_"Hey Drew!" she called, "Let's go swimming!" _

_I screwed up my nose it the thought of the salty taste of the water._

_"No thanks May," I said, "You can swim though."_

_"But Drew, it won't be fun without my best friend," she whined._

_"I'll watch right here," I assured. _

_She nodded happily and slipped her red and white floaty ring over her. She ran down and splashed in the water._

_"Drew!" she called, "look at me!" _

_I laughed at her. She was a funny girl. She continued to splash for a while, bobbing up and down. I saw two Tentacools appear beside her. She patted one and then the other, not seeming to care if they would hurt her or not. That was May for you. I turned away for a minute, stretching out. It was hot. Maybe I would go swimming after all. I heard her scream. I turned back quickly. She was surrounded by Tentacool._

_"Mummy!" she screamed, "daddy!" _

_I watched as her mum turned away from her conversation with my mum and her dad. She smiled and took out a Pokéball. Good. She was going to fight them off. She threw the ball out and it hit May in the head. I blinked in shock. Had her mum just tried to catch her?_

_"Um Caroline," May's dad said, "I think that's May, not a Tentacool."_

_"Oh right," she laughed nervously, "silly me." _

_Well the Tentacool weren't doing anything, but May was scared. She rubbed her head slowly, eyeing the Pokémon around her. Right, my turn. I ran down to the water, waving my hands around._

_"Go away," I yelled, "leave my friend alone. She's not a Tentacool." _

_May whimpered slightly as the Pokémon brushed passed her. She stayed there, sobbing quietly. I reached out and hugged her._

_"It's ok," I hushed her; "they're gone now. Come on out and relax in the sun for a bit."_

_"T-thanks Drew," she stuttered._

**_*Flashback ends*_**

I just held her close as she clung to me. She sobbed into my t-shirt, her fingers curling in the material. I saw the glint of the sparkly pink ring she still hadn't taken off. It was nice to know that even though she couldn't recognize me, I still meant so much to her.

"Drew," she cried softly, "Drew it's so scary. I mean I know you think it's silly but I'm scared of them. It started when-"

"I know," I said cutting her off," I know why you're scared and it's ok."

"How did you know?" she asked.

"I um…" I trailed off, not wanting to blow it now.

I'd gone so long without her knowing it's me and I didn't want to just tell her. I wanted her to find out; to _remember_ me.

"Don't tell me you were at that contest when Harley played that recording of Max's voice telling the story," she groaned.

Phew, a way out.

"Would you hurt me if I said yes?" I asked.

That wasn't a lie. She frowned.

"Ok don't be upset," I said, "It's alright to be afraid of a certain type of Pokémon."

"You think I'm wimpy now don't you?" she questioned with a pout.

I shook my head. I thrust a yellow rose into her fingers. I had changed them. Well it was now or never.

"I was wondering if you'd like to travel with me." I asked.

"Sure Drew," she replied, "but why do you ask?"

"You looked lonely without your friends," I said, shrugging, "so I figured I'd be a nice guy and let you travel with me."

She giggled and hit my shoulder lightly.

"You are a nice guy after all, Drew."

* * *

"Roserade," I whispered, "you don't think May has learnt the meaning of a rose yet do you?"

Yes Roselia had evolved into a Roserade.

_'I dunno, but you'll never know until you give it up,'_ she replied.

I fingered the rose in my hand. It was yellow, like all the others. The difference was this one had red tips. Friendship turning into love. I felt the yellow flowers weren't quite as satisfactory. I was 15 now and I admit I had started to develop feelings for her. Well what did you expect? I'd been traveling with her for a whole year, getting closer and closer to her; it was bound to happen sometime. Now I had again changed the colour of the roses. I would be revealing to her just a little how I felt. But I was kinda nervous about this. I mean, what if she knew what they meant. What if she rejected me? I would never get over it. I would lose the best friend I had and that was not what I wanted.

"You know, I'm having second thoughts about this," I hissed.

_'Just give it to her,'_ Roserade sighed, pushing me forwards.

May was sitting on a rock, watching the water ripple in the lake we'd stopped by. I stumbled a little and quickly recovered. I sat down next to her.

"Hey Drew," she greeted without even looking at me.

"Hey May," I whispered.

I looked at her peaceful face. She had her eyes closed and her lips were curled in a gentle smile. The breeze softly blew through her hair which was out of its bandana. Her hands were folded in her lap. On her finger was still my little plastic ring. I smiled slightly. She'd probably forgotten about the boy who gave it to her. I was starting to wonder if she was ever going to remember me.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked me.

I looked at her to find that she was watching me.

"Nothing important," I said with a touch of sadness in my voice.

"Ok," she said, "you'll be alright."

I smiled at her.

"Here," I said, offering her the rose. She took in in her fingers.

"Change of colours Drew?" she asked.

That was exactly the same thing she had said when I had changed to the yellow roses.

"Well yeah," I said, "why not? You'd probably get bored of one colour."

"Hey Drew, remember the first rose you ever gave me?" she asked, sighing and leaning back a bit.

How could I forget?

**_*Flashback*_**

_May had just come back down from performing her round with Beautifly. She trembled slightly as she sat down on the bench._

_"I just hope I make it to the secondaries," she whispered quietly, worry in her voice. _

_I walked over to her and held out the rose I had gotten Roselia to make for me. _

_"Huh?" she looked up at me._

_"A good performance May," I encouraged._

_"That for me?" she asked, taking the rose, "thanks Drew." _

_As much as I wanted to admit it was for her, I couldn't. It would break the façade I'd created for myself._

_"Not for you, it's for your Beautifly," I lied, flicking my hair in the habit I'd picked up, "It's obvious that the coordinator still has a lot of training to do."_

_"Well I guess we all can't be as good as you," she retorted hotly._

**_*Flashback ends*_**

"You mean the first rose I gave to you, or 'Beautifly'?" I asked.

She giggled.

"I know all of them were for me," She laughed, "your excuse was really lame. It just took me a little while to realize it."

"Well, you've always been a little slow," I teased.

"Shush Drew or I'll push you in the water," she replied, with a gentle push to my shoulder.

"You wouldn't want to do that," I said with a smirk, "knowing you and you clumsiness, you'd probably fall in yourself."

She rolled her eyes and pushed me off the rock.

"Ouch," I moaned, sitting up.

"Serves you right," she giggled, "I'm not that clumsy."

I smirked just as she toppled off the rock after me.

"Ahh wipe that smirk off your face Drew."

* * *

"Are you sure I can do this?" I asked Roserade next to me.

I watched from afar. May was still travelling with me, but right now she was lying in the grass, looking up at the starry sky.

_'Sure you can Drew,'_ she encouraged, _'Don't be so nervous about it.'_

Why was I nervous? I was 16 now and about to ask May for a date.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, "I mean, maybe now isn't the right time. She just came out of a messy break up and all."

Roserade rolled her eyes.

_'I think you're exaggerating just a little there Drew,'_ she pointed out, _'you seem to be forgetting that they were only going out for a week and broke up two months ago on neutral terms.'_

"Ok, maybe I exaggerated a little," I admitted, "but Solidad once told me that girls can take up to months to get over a breakup."

_'Yeah, if they'd been going out for ages,'_ Roserade sighed, _'May was only with him for a week. She wasn't even upset by the break up and it wasn't anything serious. They didn't even kiss.'_

"How do you know they didn't kiss?" I asked.

I had thought she did.

_'I may or may not have spied on them for you,'_ Roserade confessed.

"What do you mean for me?" I asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

_'Please Drew, I know how much she means to you,'_ she sighed, _'even if you weren't going to in interfere, I decided to keep a look out on her to make sure that the guy was treating her right.'_

"Thanks," I whispered.

_'Yeah, just get out there and ask her already,'_ Roserade scoffed, pushing me forwards.

I scowled at my Pokémon quickly, before turning my attention back to May. I walked over and sat down beside her, fingering the rose that Roserade had shoved into my hands.

"Hey May," I said quietly.

She jolted slightly, a sign that meant I had startled her. She scowled at me.

"Drew, don't sneak up on me like that," she growled.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Just thinking."

"About what?" I asked.

"You remember the boy I briefly dated about two months ago?" she questioned.

"Yes," I growled.

I remembered well. How jealous and hurt I felt.

"I was just thinking about how sad it was," she giggled slightly, "I can't remember much about him. I haven't seen him, haven't called him. I can't even remember his name. Pretty sad huh?"

"Yeah…" I trailed off.

She hummed lightly and turned her gaze back to the sky. I wriggled down so I was lying next to her, rather than sitting.

"I just wanted someone who could make me feel special," she whispered eventually, "I know it sounds silly, but that's what I wanted. Someone who wouldn't only make dates fun, but someone who could love me and make me feel like I was worth it."

"Didn't he make you feel like you were worth it?" I questioned.

"It wasn't so much that," she sighed, "he just…The dates felt more friendly than romantic. He didn't make me feel loved."

"I'll make you feel special," I said suddenly, surprising myself, "You are special."

"What?" she asked, turning to me and propping herself up with her elbows to look down at me.

"You are special May," I repeated, "and if I were to date you, I would make sure you knew it."

"Drew, what are you saying?" she asked cautiously.

"I want to go on a date with you," I said bluntly.

"Are you asking me for a date?" she squeaked.

I nodded and handed her the rose; a red rose.

"Would you go on a date with me?" I asked. She smiled, taking the rose gently from my fingers.

"Sure," she agreed, "I'll go on a date with you." She lay back again and held my rose tightly in her hands.

I smiled, seeing the sparkle of the little pink ring still on her finger. I took her hand in mine and rested my head gently against hers. Maybe she still didn't know, but at the moment, I was ok with it.

* * *

"Hey May," I called gently, nudging her awake.

"Mm," she mumbled, slowly opening her eyes.

Gosh she was cute when she was half asleep. I handed her a tray. On it was a plate of breakfast, a red rose and a neatly wrapped present.

"Happy anniversary," I whispered, kissing her forehead lightly.

May and I had been going out for exactly a year now and if you couldn't guess, we were 17 now.

"You remembered," she gasped, "and you made me breakfast in bed. You're so sweet Drew."

"Of course I remembered," I chuckled lowly, "this day is very special you know."

She smiled and slowly started to eat the meal I had prepared for her. She wiped her mouth on a tissue and grinned lopsidedly at me.

"Ok, now I'm awake," she sighed, "Happy anniversary Drew."

"Open your present already;" I told her impatiently, "I want to know if you like it."

She stuck out her tongue at me. She ripped it open and inspected the long box inside before opening it. She gasped and put her hand over her mouth.

"Oh Drew," she sighed, "It's beautiful."

She fingered the necklace inside. It was custom ordered. I had gotten a silver rose pendant studded with rubies. On the back was engraved _'Happy 1__st__ May Love Drew'_. I smiled at her as I took it from the box.

"You like it then?" I questioned, fastening it around her neck.

It looked good on her.

"Drew, I love it," she confirmed, "and if I didn't know that my breath would be terrible right now, I'd kiss you."

I chuckled and shook my head. She got up quickly, almost making the stuff fall to the ground.

"Wait a minute while I change," she told me.

She ran into the bathroom and locked the door. I heard the shower going. I picked up the tray of stuff and went to the kitchenette. I washed the plate, knife and fork quickly, putting them away. I threw the rubbish in the bin and held the rose in my hand. She hadn't even noticed it. I heard May singing to herself happily in the bathroom and I laughed. A moment later the water stopped, but the humming continued. I waited patiently until she came out. She was wearing something different from her usual outfit. She was wearing a blue summer dress and matching blue sandals. Her hair was damp still and hung down at her shoulders. I smiled. I liked it when she wore blue. It matched her eyes. I tucked the rose behind her ear. She giggled and ran quickly to the draw by her bed. She opened it and pulled out rather large present.

"What on earth!" I exclaimed.

How had she managed to keep that hidden from me? She pressed it into my hands.

"I hope you like it," she said, "I made it myself."

Curious, I tore into the wrapping and pulled it out. Inside was a square flat cardboard box and a tape measure? I must've looked very confused because she giggled at me.

"How about you try measuring something with it?" she suggested.

I shot her a curious glance, earning more giggles from her. Oh well, I'd humour her. I pulled out the tape and went to measure the table, but when I looked to see the number I stopped. Instead of numbers on it, the tape was white. On it were little scribbled notes and messy drawings. I read over them, each one being something she liked about me, with illustrations to prove the point. I chuckled at some of them. 'I love your grassy hair'; 'I love the roses you give to 'Beautifly', even though we both know they're for me' were two of them. I let the tape roll back inside.

"Now open the box," she instructed.

I opened the box and was met with a picture frame. It was a picture of us, me handing her one of those roses and her giggling. Beneath it was written the date we had started dating; July 10.

"It's kind of for both of us," she explained, "I've seen these cute things were each year you take a photo holding the last picture and so every anniversary it just gets more photos in it."

She shyly held up a camera. I wrapped one of my arms around her waist and let her hold the picture with the other one of her hands, tightly gripping the other side so it wouldn't drop.

"I love you," I whispered, "and yes I do like it."

She giggled and took a picture.

"That's for next year," she said happily.

I chuckled at her, shaking my head. I put both the presents and the camera down. I turned her to face me. I smirked and kissed her lightly. She sighed when I pulled away and I entwined our hands together. I pulled her onto my lap and I sat down on the edge of the bed.

"We don't have to move towns tonight," I told her, "I rented the hotel room for another night so we could spend the day together, you know, go on an all day date."

"Drew, you really are so sweet," she sighed.

I started absent-mindedly playing with the little plastic ring on her finger.

"Ooh, I hope you don't mind that actually," she said suddenly, "I forgot to ask you about it."

"Ask me about what?" I asked.

"This ring," she said, holding her hand up, "I hope you don't mind that I wear it even though I'm dating you. It means a lot to me."

I smiled.

"I don't mind," I said honestly, "you know it keeps other boys away from you."

I placed a gentle kiss behind her ear. She giggled. Maybe she'd find out soon, but not today. Today I wasn't going to be her lost friend, looking to be found. I was going to be her loving boyfriend today.

* * *

May sighed sadly as she leaned against me. I was wondering why I heard that sadness in her sigh. I had just taken her out on a very nice date after our second year anniversary. I was planning something special for her tonight, but I wanted her to be happy first.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked.

"I was just thinking," she replied.

"About?" I pushed.

"I never told you about this did I?" she questioned, holding the hand with the ring up to my face.

"No, you never told me," I said, _but I know that story because I was there_, I finished in my head.

"Well, you see when I was little, my next door neighbour, he was my best friend," she started, "His mum and my parents were really good friends. One day he told me that he was moving away and I thought that was the end. It was cute though. He proposed to me as his way of promising that he would find me again. I kept the ring, hoping that he'd find me again, but he hasn't yet."

"Oh yeah, do you know who this boy is?" I asked.

"I can't remember his name," she sighed sadly, "In my memories, whenever I'm about to say his name, I blank out and I can't think of it. I wish I could find him though. He was the best friend ever."

That's why my name hadn't sparked any recognition. Maybe now was the time to help her.

"How about you tell me about him?" I asked, "It might help you remember if you talk about him."

"Well, he had green hair and green eyes. He was nice. He saved me from a group of Tentacools once," she started, "and he loved to tease me. He always knew exactly what to say to make me angry, but he always made up for it. He was sweet though. I remember once when I got sick, he snuck into my room and stayed with me all day so I wouldn't get bored. He ended up getting sick after that. He liked flowers as well, particularly roses and…"

She trailed off and I watched as her eyes widened in recognition. She turned to me, eyes wide with so many emotions. I smiled at her.

"It's you!" she exclaimed, her voice breaking slightly.

"Yes," I confirmed.

"Oh Drew," she sighed, "You did find me after all, just like you promised."

"Of course I did," I scoffed, "You didn't think I'd break that promise did you?"

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked.

"Would you have believed me if I did?" I countered, "I mean the first thing I said to you was an insult to see your reaction."

"Why did you insult me?" she demanded.

"Well, I noticed immediately how similar you looked to my childhood friend and so I thought, why not test it to see if I would get the same reaction? But as soon as I saw that ring on your finger, I knew it was you," I explained.

"Oh Drew," She cried, "I'm so sorry I didn't recognise you. You should've said something."

"I wanted you to figure it out by yourself," I shrugged, "not having me to tell you."

"Well, I remember now," she said, "and I found you. Who knew that I would fall in love with you?"

I chuckled deciding now would be a good time. I gently pushed her off me. I caught her hands in mine when she turned around to pout at me. I rubbed my thumb along the little ring.

"You know, I proposed to you a long time ago, so I really don't think I need to do it again," I said, reaching for the jewellery box in my pocket, "but I'll ask again anyway. May, wouldn't you like to finally replace this little plastic ring with something a bit more official? Marry me for real?"

I opened the box to reveal a shiny silver ring that I had picked out earlier that week. We were already on our knees, so I couldn't really bend to one knee, but I offered the ring to her anyway.

"Alright Drew," she said, "Let's make it official. This little ring is a little small for me anyway. Yes of course I'll marry you."

She pulled the pink plastic sparkly ring off her finger and I replaced it with the real one. The real one made of silver with a pink crystal embedded in the shape of a heart. She squealed and jumped at me, managing to push me over. She leaned down and pecked continually at my lips.

"I. Love. You . So. Much. Drew. And. I. Can't. Believe. I. Finally. Found. You. Again." She said in-between kisses.

I put my hand on the back of her head and pressed my lips firmly against hers for a longer kiss before I finally pulled away.

"You found me a long time ago," I told her, "you just didn't know it."

"I love you so much Drew," she sighed contently.

"I love you too," I whispered back.

She giggled.

"What?" I asked.

"I guess you did end up coming back to marry me after all," she giggled.

* * *

**Me: HAPPY CONTESTSHIPPING DAY GUYS! This is my contestshipping day special. I have been so excited for this, like you wouldn't believe. I even drew my own picture! (cover art) which is also on Deviantart for those who want to see the whole thing.**

**Drew: This is not a good day.**

**Me: What are you talking about? You should be happy for this day. You can use it as an excuse to kiss May.**

**May and Drew: *blushing***

**Me: *giggles* Anyway guys. I hope you liked this, and for all you contestshipping out there, enjoy what other contestshipping fun there is out there.**


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